Pepper in Some Girl Troubles
by Shaneener
Summary: Mark meets his buddy Jim for dinner, and gets the pleasure of listening to his girl problems. oneshot


Well, I'm back. And so are my quickly put-together sloppily written one shots!

Thanks so much to ktface3 for beta'ing me... or however you spell it...

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Mark loved his man dates

Mark loved his man dates. He'd never admit it, though. That sounded really gay. Not that he had anything against gay people; he just didn't want to be mistaken as gay. However, his weekly man dates with Jim were sometimes the highlight of his week. Jim and Mark spent good times together… Not that they were gay.

Usually, Mark was the one who would bitch about his life. Jim always joked that Mark went through women like underwear—they changed at least once a month. However, on a certain Tuesday night at the back of a local Chili's, Mark was the one listening to Jim complain.

Maybe complain wasn't the right word, but, to be honest, Mark wasn't expecting Jim to lament to him in such a way. He had always been Mark's cheerleader, his support system, his pick-me-up.

"I like her a lot," Jim explained, pushing around his mashed potatoes, "and in Stamford we got along really well. She's really smart and opinionated, but she can have fun and let loose sometimes, too." Jim paused and looked down at his plate, sorting through his thoughts.

Mark, taking his moment to get in on the conversation, added, "And she's really hot." Jim glared at him, but Mark just shrugged.

"Yeah. That too," he finally admitted. Jim sighed and took a bite of his pot roast. Mark watched him, waiting for him to continue. He didn't want to intrude into Jim's thoughts. Finally, though, when he could bare the silence no longer, he finally asked, "What, exactly, is the problem?"

Jim looked up, and Mark was surprised to see shimmery tears lacing his friend's brown eyes. "Pam."

Mark remembered Pam. She was a nice, quiet girl who had come to their barbeque a year or so ago. She hadn't said much to him besides a habitual "Hi, how are you?" but Mark had gotten the impression that she was a relatable person. She kinda had this girl-next-door look going on, but not in a sexy way. She wasn't really his type (Mark's type was usually named after food) but he could see how someone could find her attractive.

"What about her?" Mark asked, taking a sip of his Heineken. Jim ran his hands through his hair and gave a mirthless chuckle. He then shook his head as if Mark's question was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard.

Mark was about to get defensive when Jim finally answered. "I had a crush on her for a year. I was in love with her for eight. I even told her about my feelings during some stupid activity night thing Michael set up, and she turned me down." Jim slumped down in his chair and rested his forehead on his hands.

Mark watched his friend and thought. How could some receptionist do this much to him? Jim was usually a pretty strong person. A little awkward around girls, but he'd had his fair share of girlfriends. He was a pretty good-looking guy (not that Mark was looking) and Mark couldn't see why Pam hadn't taken the chance to get with him. Then he remembered.

"Wait," Mark said, it dawning on him, "she was engaged, right?" Jim nodded. "Well, would you really dump your fiancée in two seconds, especially when you're shocked?"

Jim considered this. "Yeah, but, then I kissed her. And she kissed back."

Mark thought about this, too. "Well, she obviously liked you." Confused, Mark sat back. "Wait, explain to me what happened?"

Mark listened patiently as Jim agonizingly explained Casino Night in-detail. When he was done, Mark sat back and mulled over everything Jim had said.

"Okay… So then you moved to Stamford and met Karen. Then the Stamford branch closed and you moved back here and met up with… Oh." Mark's eyes widened at his realization. "That must've been awkward."

Jim snorted in agreement. "You can say that again."

"So now you don't know what to do. On the one hand, you have Karen, who's smart and nice and smokin' hot. And you also know she likes you. However, you aren't sure if you like her back. Right?" Jim nodded his head and Mark continued. "Then we have Pam who's kind and relatable and pretty, if not hot. But you're not sure if she likes you and you're not sure how much you like her."

Jim sighed. "It's not that easy."

"Then explain."

Jim rubbed his temples and sipped his Coke. "Well, with Karen, I'm scared that I'm using her. I don't want to be the guy who uses girls as "rebounds" or whatever. She likes to talk about things a lot. It's always 'How does this make you feel, Jim?' and 'What about this, Jim?' and 'Jim, could you please try to explain how you feel?'" Jim made a face and Mark fought back a laugh. For a moment they were just superficial buds again, complaining about their girlfriends' little annoying quirks. But then the moment was over and they were back to their deep, meaningful conversation. "With Pam…

"With Pam, I can just kick back and be myself. We don't have to talk about things, you know? But that's part of the problem… I mean, I never can tell how she feels, and I don't want to tell her how I feel because I don't even know how I feel!" Jim paused to catch his breath. "Am I making any sense?"

"Kind of, yeah." Mark took a bite of his food, which was now cold. Wonderful. "It sounds like you and Pam have more of a superficial relationship, but you and Karen have a relationship built on lies."

Jim blinked at his friend. "Yeah," he decided slowly, "That's it." There was another pause as the two men thought over the Assistant Regional Manager's love life.

"You know what I think?" Mark declared. "I think you should stay with Karen."

Jim looked up, bewildered. "What?"

Mark nodded, sure of himself. "I mean, aside from the normal touchy-feely crap girls crave, you and Karen have a pretty good relationship. With Pam… I dunno. It seems like it's not going anywhere. It seems to me that you still have lingering feelings for her that will pass with time. You two get along great as friends, but you have buds for that. Not saying you shouldn't have her as a friend, but I think the feelings you have for her are just old. Out with the old, in with the new, right?"

Jim looked down at his placemat and read the description for Chili's new Asian Delights Steak Sauce. Finally, after awhile, he said, "Right."

The rest of the night involved Mark lamenting about his newest girlfriend Lulu and how she was into yoga and fueng-shui and how she would complain that he "didn't get it" when he asked why she had rearranged his whole living room. Jim nodded along, barely paying attention.

Mark paid the waitress and left her a generous tip. Jim had offered to pay, but Mark had dismissed the thought. "My treat," he emphasized. Jim hadn't argued.

Mark got into his Camry and backed out of Chili's parking lot and turned left. He was proud of the advice he had given Jim. He usually wasn't very good with suggestions, but he was sure he had helped Jim a lot. Go Mark.


End file.
